Delicious Meal – early St. Patrick’s Day food!

Today we had our monthly dinner group gathering. It was our turn to cook the main dish so we made some corned beef. Paula also found a recipe for Curried Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie in the March 2016 Food Network magazine. It looked really tasty – and it was!! – so we cooked that to go with the corned beef.

If the title sounds interesting, here is the recipe…

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put 2 pounds of peeled and chopped potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with cold water by 1 inch and season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add 8 ounces of quartered mushrooms. Cook until they release their liquid, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and continue to cook until the liquid is evaporated, another 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of flour, 1 teaspoon of coriander and 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg. Cook a little more, stirring, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the reserved cooking liquid and 3/4 cup half-and-half. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the carrot-vegetable mixture, 1 cup of frozen peas, lemon zest and juice from 1 lemon. Return to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Season with salt and stir in 1/2 cup of chopped parsley.

Drain the potatoes and let cool slightly. Return to the pot and add 2 teaspoons of curry powder and the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and another 3/4 cup half-and-half. Season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and mash well.

Spread the mushroom mixture in a 3-quart baking dish. Dollop the mashed potatoes on top and spread with the back of a spoon. Bake until bubbling around the edges and the topping is browned in spots, about 20 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.